Scotland Yard detective Leonard ‘Nipper’ Read who famously put the notorious Kray twins behind bars dies aged 95
- Read who was a Detective Superintendent in the Met Police died this morning
- A statement by the Met police released after Read’s death called him a legend
- East End mobsters the Krays were arrested in May 1968 by team led by Read
The detective Len ‘Nipper’ Read who put the Kray twins away has died at the age of 95.
Read was a Detective Superintendent in the Metropolitan Police and is widely credited for arresting Ronnie and Reggie Kray.
He passed away this morning.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police Heritage Centre said: ‘We are sad to announce that Leonard ‘Nipper’ Read QPM died this morning aged 95.
Detective Supt Leonard ‘Nipper’ Read seen outside Tintagel House H.Q. during his involvement in the Kray Case.
‘A Met legend, he is best known for his part in bringing the Kray Twins to justice and his autobiographies hold places of honour in our collections.’
East End mobsters the Kray twins were arrested in May 1968 by a team led by Read. They were subsequently convicted of murder the following year and jailed for life.
Ronnie was an inmate at Broadmoor Hospital and died from a heart attack on March 17, 1995.
Reggie was released from prison on compassionate grounds, eight weeks before his death from bladder cancer, in 2000.
Read was played by Christopher Ecclestone in the 2015 film Legend.
Tom Hardy was cast as Reggie and Ronnie Kray.
Picture shows former Detective Chief Superintendent Leonard ‘Nipper’ Read, who was the original officer in charge of the Babes in the Wood murder case leaving the Old Bailey